Printing machine folding mechanism



, 1961 c. A. HARLESS PRINTING MACHINE FOLDING MECHANISM April 25 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 21, 1958 Y m/ M N% #m w In A lllll ll llll April 25, 1961 Filed April 21, 1958 C. A. HARLESS PRINTING MACHINE FOLDING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY April 25, 1961 c. A. HARLESS 2,981,540

PRINTING MACHINE FOLDING MECHANISM Filed April 21, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 4. i

INVENTOR W AT?ORNE$S United States tent PRINTING MACHINE FOLDING MECHANISM Charles A. Hal-less, Riverside, 'Conn., assignor to R. Hoe & Co., Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 21, 1958, Ser. No. 729,729

9 Claims. (Cl. 270-77) This invention relates to printing machine folding mechanism and more particularly to folding cylinders of the so-called 3 2 type in which a folding and collecting cylinder is arranged to carry three partially formed products around its periphery and cooperates with a cutting cylinder mechanism which produces two such products for each rotation of the folding and collecting cylinder.

Mechanism of this general type is disclosed, for example, in prior Tomlin Patent 2,026,443 and in prior Harless application, Serial No. 614,666, filed October 8, 1956, for Printing Machine Folder, now Patent No. 2,919,914.

It isan object of the present invention to provide an improved drive for the folding blade elements, which utilizes planetary and differential gear members.

Another object of the invention is to provide-folding blade operating mechanism capable of complete 'enclosure in an oil tight housing.

. With these and other objects which will appear in mind, the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, and the features forming the in- "vention will then be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing: V

Fig. l is a schematic end view of a folding mechanism embodying the invention in a preferred form;

Fig. 2 is a section generallyon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a developed sectional view on the line 3 -3 of Fig. 1; and

'Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the path of movement of the folding blades.

Referring principally to Fig. l, the mechanism of th invention comprises a folding and collecting cylinder 10, cooperating with a cutting cylinder 11 and folding off rollers 12 in the usual way. In the case illustrated by way of example, the cylinder is equipped with cutting blocks or woods 13 cooperating with knives 14 of the cutting cylinder 11, for severing the web or batch of associated ribbons W into sheet lengths. The folding cylinder generally rotates about an axis C, while the blade carrier rotates about an eccentric axis C.

Referring particularly to Fig. 2, the folding cylinder comprises a cylinder body 15 which supports a shell 16 forming the sheet supporting surface and provided with openings for the action of paper holding pins 17 and the folding blades 18, as usual. The folding blade carrier includes spider discs 20 and 21, eccentric to the body '15, and carrying the folding blades by means of folding blade shafts 22 journaled in bearings 23 and 24 mounted in the discs 20 and 21, respectively. The cylinder and carrier supporting driving structures at the two ends are different, and the drive mechanism generally is located at the left end as seen in Fig. 2, while the folding blade drive mechanism is located at the right end as seen in Fig. 2. The structure at the left end of Fig. 2 comprises a machine frame supporting a tubular stud or bushing member 31 within which the shaft 32 and cylinder body 15 is 2,981,540 Patented Apr. 25, 1961 carried by means of an anti-friction bearing 33. Blade carrier disc 20 is supported on the element 31 and eccentrically to the shaft 32 by means of an anti-friction bearing 34, and the pin cam drive gear 35 is similarly supported by an anti-friction bearing 36, but is concentric with the shaft 32. A box cam 37 is fixed to one face of the gear 35 and cooperates with cam follower rollers 38 mounted on crank arms 39 attached to the pinshafts 40, which are journaled in the cylinder body 15 at 41 and pass through openings 42 in disc 20.

Shaft 32 carries the main drive gear '45 which is driven by gear 44 and gearing connections (not shown) in the usual way and off which the drive for the remaining elements of the cylinder is taken, the pin cam driving gear 35 being driven through shaft 45 and gears 46, 47, and the remaining elements being driven from a shaft 48 carrying gear '49 in mesh with the drive gear 43. Gear 54) carried by shaft 48 meshes with gear teeth 51 formed on the blade carrier disc 20 for driving the same and gear 52 also carried by'shaft 48 meshes with gear teeth 53 fixed to the blade carrier disc 21 for driving this element.

At the opposite end of the cylinder, machine frame 55 carries a stud 56, a reduced end 57 of which supports the cylinder body 15 by means of an anti-friction bearing 58 concentrically with the trunnion 32 previously referred to. Gear teeth 53 and spider disc 21, previously referred to, are supported by a housing structure 60 which is carried concentrically with disc 20 by means of anti-friction bearing 61. An oil seal 62 seals this housing to the stud 56 at its end adjacent the frame, and an oil seal 63 seals the disc 21 to a circular plate 64 carried by the stud 56, forming a closure at the end of "the housing adjacent the cylinder, thus forming a complete oil tight end closure for the operating parts about to be described. Members 31 and 56, each comprisecylindrical sections 31' and 56, respectively, mounted in bores in the frames '30, 55, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to permit rotatable adjustment of these two members, which are held in adjusted rotary position by end cap elements '31 and 56 Within the housing 60, stud 56 carries a stationary sun gear 65 concentric with the disc 20 and disc 21, with which planet pinions 66 journaled in the interior of the web elements of the housing 60 are arranged to mesh. Each pinion 66 drives a bevel gear 67 forming one side of a differential gear 68, the cross head 69 of this differ- 'enti'al driving through ring gear teeth 70 a pinion 7=1 fixed to the folding blade drive shaft 22. Bevel gear 72, forming the other side of the differential carries a spline shaft 73 on which is slidably carried gear member 74, the other end of shaft 73 being journaled in the housing structure 61 by means of the bearing 75. Gear element 74 has a groove 76 cooperating with a shifting arm 77 (Fig. 2) permitting the movement of element 74 between the position of Fig. 3 in which member 74 meshes with a gear sector 78 and a position of disengagement with this sector, in which the element 74 engages internal teeth 79 formed in the differential housing. In the latter position, pinion 71 driving the folding blade shaft 22 is given a planetary movement of usual type, while with the parts in the position of Fig. 3, a modified movement as described below is obtained.

The sector 78 previously referred to is journaled in the housing 60 by means of a shaft 80 and inner and outer bearing elements 81, 82-. Gear sector 78 carries an arm 83 in which is formed a slideway 8:4 accommodating a block 85 rotatably receiving a crank pin 86 carried; by a gear wheel 87 journaled in the housing structure '60 and driven by pinion 88 carried on a shaft 89 also 90 engaging the planetary gear 66 previously referred to.

The movement of the folding blades obtained with the arrangement just described is shown in Fig. 4 and takes either of twoforms depending upon the setting of the elements 74. Thus, if an element 74 is disengaged with its cooperating sector 78 and engaged with teeth 79 in the associated differential housing, an epicyclic path P (broken line) having three cusps 91, 92, 93 will be traced. Under these conditions, the parts are set for a straight or non-collecting run and the folding blades will operate each time they come in position for cooperation with the folding-off rollers 12. By engaging element 74 with gear sector 78, a modified path of movement is obtained, which path is shown in solid lines in the figure and identified by reference character'P-l. Starting at cusp 93, and following this path in the direction of the arrows, it will be observed that the folding blade moves inwardly and around in a loop, then around in a symmetrically placed loop and then back down again to the cusp 93, the complete path P-l moving twice around the cylinder center and requiring two rotations of the cylinder to complete its movement. In consequence, with this adjustment of parts, the folding blade will operate to fold a product into the folding-off rollers 12 upon alternate rotations of the cylinder. The manner in which this modified movement is obtained will readily be understood by following through the movement of the parts already described, and considering that the path P-l is a modification of the path P previously described, which is obtained by adding to the folding blade movement in that path appropriate modifying movements which are introduced through the differential gearing.

What is claimed is:

1. In a 3-2 printing machine folding mechanism, a folding and collecting cylinder having a folding blade carrier, folding blade shafts rotatably journaled in the carrier, a stationary sun gear, means mounting the sun gear concentric with the carrier, and planet gearing mounted on the carrier for driving the folding blade shafts and comprising for each shaft a differential gear having two input sides and an output diflerentially connected thereto, a gear sector and a crank rocking the gear sector back and forth once for each two revolutions of the cylinder, a planet gear driving the crank and one side of the differential, a gear driving the other side of the differential fromthe gear sector and a drive connection from the differential output to the folding blade shaft, whereby the folding blade operates for'folding a product once every other revolution of the folding cylinder.

2. In a 3-2 printing machine folding mechanism, a folding and collecting cylinder having 'a folding blade carrier, folding blade shafts rotatably journaled in the carrier, a stationary sun gear, means mounting the sun gear concentric with the carrier, and planet gearing mounted on the carrier for driving the folding blade shafts and comprising for each shaft a planet gear, a gear sector and an oscillating drive driven by the planet gear and rocking the gear sector back and forth once for each two revolutions of the cylinder and a differential gear driven by said planet gear and said sector and driving said folding blade shaft, whereby the folding blade operates for folding a product once every other revolution of the folding cylinder.

3. In a 3-2 printing machine folding mechanism, a folding and collecting cylinder having a folding blade carrier, folding blade shafts rotatably journaled in the carrier, a stationary sun gear, means mounting the sun gear concentric with the carrier, and planet gearing mounted on the carrier for driving the folding blade shafts and comprising for each shaft a planet gear, a gear sector and an oscillating drive driven by the planet gear and rocking the gear sector back and forth in timed 4 T relation to the revolutions of the cylinder and a differ ential gear driven by said planet gear and said sector and driving said folding blade shaft, whereby the folding blade is periodically accelerated and decelerated to modify its path of movement.

4. In a 3-2 printing machine folding mechanism, a folding and collecting cylinder according to claim 4, comprising also clutch means selectively driving a side of the said differential gear connection from the said gear sector and disconnecting the said side therefrom and holding it stationary, whereby the folding blade selectively operates for collecting on straight runs.

5. In a 3-2 printing machine folding mechanism, a folding and collecting cylinder having a folding blade carrier, folding blade shafts rotatably journaled in the carrier, a stationary sun gear, means mounting the sun gear concentric with the carrier, and planet gearing mounted on the carrier for driving the folding blade shafts and comprising for each shaft a differential gear having two side gears and a cross head, means driving the folding blade shaft from the cross head, planet gear means continuouslyrotating one side gear and an oscillating drive driven by the planet gear means and rocking the other side gear back and forth once for each two revolutions of the cylinder, whereby the folding blade operates for folding a product once every other revolution of the folding cylinder, and a housing enclosing and supporting the said planet gearing and differential gears.

6. In a 32 printing machine folding mechanism, a folding and-collecting cylinder comprising a rotatable folding blade carrier and a rotatable product supporting cylinder body cooperating therewith, a frame structure and means for supporting the said carrier and body there'- from, comprising at each end of the cylinder a rotatably adjustable member 'and means mounting the same in the frame for rotation about a predetermined axis, bearings supporting the cylinder body concentrically on the said member, bearings supporting the folding blade carrier eccentrically on the said member, and drive means for the folding blades comprising sun and planet gearing at one end of the cylinder, supported by the rotatably adjustable member and the folding blade carrier.

7. A folding and collecting cylinder according to claim 6, comprising also a housing enclosing the said sun and planet gearing.

8. A folding and collecting cylinder according to claim 7, in which the housing comprises a wall forming one end of the folding blade carrier and rotatively supporting the folding blades.

9. In a 3-2 printing machine folding mechanism, a folding and collecting cylinder comprising a rotatable folding blade carrier and a rotatable product supporting cylinder body cooperating therewith, a frame structure and means supporting the said carrier and body therefrom, the means at one end of the cylinder comprising a supporting member rotatably supporting an end of the cylinder body, and having cylindrical surfaces toward the frame and cylinder body respectively eccentric to the body and concentric to the folding blade carrier, a housing, a bearing rotatably supporting the housing on the said member for rotation concentric with the folding blade carrier, the housing comprising means sealing to the said cylindrical surfaces, and sun and planet gearing within the said housing for rotatably driving the folding blades.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Feb. 21, 1931 

